Dear Mr Drax
In view of the public interest in the matter, I will publish this as an open letter. You may wish to respond publicly.
In 2005 the journalist Peter Oborne published his book ‘The Rise of Political Lying’, which noted that this lying escalated exponentially during the Major and Blair years. It did not end there. During the 2016 referendum and the recent General Election, political lying rose to new levels. Furthermore the liars knew they faced no consequences.
Election to the House of Commons is an honour that I know you recognise. This honour carries with it certain responsibilities, one of which is surely to be truthful. Unfortunately there are a few rotten apples – MPs who do not accept this responsibility. This affects the reputation of the House as a whole; the rotten apples must be removed before they infect the whole.
One remedy is for the House to adopt a procedure by which accusations of lying can be fairly judged, and if found to be true, for the offending member be expelled. This procedure has to be robust enough to overcome the reluctance of some members and the government to act.
The other possibility is make political lying a criminal offence and let the courts handle it. In order to deal with lies uttered in Parliament a minor amendment to the Bill of Rights may be required, but this is not impossible; it is an ordinary act of Parliament and Parliament may not bind its successors.
In any case some action cannot be delayed for much longer. May we rely on you to raise the matter in Parliament?
I have decided to publish this on Dorset Eye, an independent online media , see https://dorseteye.com/, which publishes news and views reported by the public. My title will be ‘Political Lying – An Open Letter to Richard Drax MP’.
May I wish you a Happy New Year
Yours sincerely
David Smith, 9 Old Station Road, Weymouth, DT3 5NQ
